The Internet TV era now on

The 2010 European Media Engagement Barometer, commissioned by Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business, has revealed pan-generational consumer demand to further control and customise the content experience.

The study of 3,500 Europeans shows that 87 per cent of UK consumers regularly share content across devices while at home and on the move. The research also suggests that with such a wealth of content available, consumers need more assistance in finding content relevant to their lives: 69 per cent of Europeans are frustrated by searching through so many options to find the content they care about.

The Motorola survey reveals how Europeans are consuming a wealth of video content. 70 per cent of UK consumers watch live television on at least a weekly basis (compared to a European average of 62 per cent). But, increasingly viewers in the UK are accessing content through other mediums: 52 per cent are streaming Internet video, 34 per cent watch television on-demand and 29 per cent are downloading video from the Internet at least once a week, illustrating that consumers will seek out content from a variety of places to enjoy on their own terms. Interestingly, Sweden is the only country where live TV does not dominate viewing preferences. Swedish respondents stated they would rather watch live/streaming Internet video (48 per cent) compared to live television (28 per cent). Consumers are also demanding improved quality of experience. 54 per cent of British consumers questioned would like more HD programming to be made available.

Steve McCaffery, vice president, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, EMEA commented: ‚Our research shows that we’re entering a new era for TV ‚ what Motorola has termed ‚the Internet Era of TV’. The Internet, social networks and smartphones have changed how consumers of all ages engage with content. It’s now on their terms. What this tells us as an industry is that we must continue to develop solutions and services that make the consumer experience as intuitive, individual and interactive as possible.‚

A community for customised content

Over half of those asked in the UK were interested in TV applications that customise the viewing experience. The findings also show that across generations consumers are engaging with social networks and would like to be able to use their television set to recommend programmes to likeminded people. For example, 45 per cent of Millennials would like to make content recommendations to family, friends and colleagues via their television. All generations currently engage with social networks, Millennials (99 per cent), Generation Xers (99 per cent) and Baby Boomers (93 per cent).When asking consumers across the generations what devices they would like to use to access social media, 70 per cent answered the television, whilst computers (71 per cent) and mobile phones (84 per cent) are popular access methods. This suggests that integration of a user’s community could enable service providers to alleviate pan-generational consumer frustration caused by content overload.

Demand for Content Anytime, Anywhere

Consumers across Europe now have an expectation that they will be able to access the same content on the go as at home. Spanish consumers expect the most media mobility (75 per cent), with UK consumers also ahead of the European average (69 and 61 per cent respectively). UK consumers are currently more used to sharing content between devices compared to their European counterparts (87 per cent and 70 per cent respectively). As expected, content sharing is most common amongst European Millennials (87 per cent), but Generation Xers and Baby Boomers also regularly share content (72 per cent and 57 per cent respectively). European consumers are sharing content across various screens and home devices, across computers, consoles and TVs. Information is mostly shared between a computer and mobile phone (43 per cent). However, demand is highest in Spain (77 percent) and the UK (69 per cent) from consumers who wish that they knew more about accessing content from various devices. This suggests that consumers demand more knowledge so they can better control how they view their content.

The influence of ‚always on’

The research shows that being constantly connected brings balance to Europeans lives. Eight out of ten consumers (77 per cent) agree that mobile technology has integrated their personal and professional lives and two thirds (66 per cent) agree this helps them bring balance to their life. In a connected society it is not only young people that champion technological advances. Traditionally, Millennials have been touted as the ‚tech generation‚ and viewed as the primary influencers on their parents’ technology purchases and behaviours. Motorola’s 2008 study among Millennials revealed that 83 per cent of Millennials have influence over parental purchasing decisions for TV services (SOURCE: ‚Motorola Home and Networks Mobility Millennial White Paper,‚ 2008). However, as evidenced in the Media Engagement Barometer 2010 findings, parents are influencing their children’s tech decisions as often as ‚ if not more than ‚ their children are. 33 per cent of technology influencers are Baby Boomers and 39 per cent are Gen Xers.

McCaffery continued: ‚Gone are the days when one screen provided the entire family’s content. Now mum is watching TV, while dad checks the football scores on his phone and eldest son is streaming music videos onto his laptop. The playing field is now level – everyone, regardless of age, expects to enjoy content on their own terms. In terms of seeking out new technology and sharing content this study shows that all generations now have influence.‚

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